How We Can Support Our Inattentive Students

No, not the Common Core.  No, not the long hours or lack of bathroom breaks.  No, not the state evaluation system or the endless meetings.  No, not the parents or the large class sizes. No, not the differentiated instruction or assessments. For me, knowing how to best help students with self-control/attention issues has probably always been one of the biggest challenges.

Because it impacts me on a daily basis, I'm curious about the causes of inattention.  Maturity? Nutrition? Overstimulation from a culture of TV and video games?  Lack of discipline and a shift in parenting styles?  Environment factors?   Lack of exercise?  Are children starting school at too young of an age?  Is our classroom structure and style not supporting these children enough?  What is causing so many students to struggle with inattention in the classroom?  And even more relevant to what I do, how can we help these students maximize their potential?

I recently saw this article about the impact of delaying entry to kindergarten and the effect that this has on inattention/hyperactivity.  The article reports about the recent research findings done by Thomas Dee of Stanford University and Hans Henrick Sieversten of The Danish National Centre for Social Research.  Very interesting!  The researches state that:

“We found that delaying kindergarten for one year reduced inattention and hyperactivity by 73 percent for an average child at age 11 and it virtually eliminated the probability that an average child at that age would have an ‘abnormal,’ or higher-than-normal rating for the inattentive-hyperactive behavioral measure.”

You can read The Washington Post article here or Stanford's Center for Education Policy Analysis paper entitled The Gift of Time? School Starting Age and Mental Health here.

Every child is different and blooms in their own time (the first theme I teach my first graders each year from Leo the Late Bloomer).  I think when discussing the benefit of delaying entry into kindergarten, the expectations must be considered (along with the individual strengths of the child).  There has been a shift and is seems that kindergarten is the "old first grade. " I've sensed disappointment from so many parents (not in my district, but through my reading) that kindergarten isn't about hands-on learning, playing, exploring, and socialization any more.  I hear complaints of worksheets and expectations of sitting and listening for time periods that may beyond what is developmentally appropriate.  The trend now is to delay starting kindergarten.  Wait until they are mature enough to sit and listen and do real academic learning-because that's what is expected now.

While I'm not arguing the point of delaying entry into kindergarten, I do think it's important for us as teachers-especially primary teachers-to reflect on the environment we are creating.  We have to find a way to make their learning experiences more than sitting, listening, watching, and doing worksheets.  It just isn't working.  At least not for every student.

I came across an article from the New York Times about the value of play in learning.  It also brings up several interesting points about early instruction.

The idea seems obvious: Starting sooner means learning more; the early bird catches the worm.

But a growing group of scientists, education researchers and educators say there is little evidence that this approach improves long-term achievement; in fact, it may have the opposite effect, potentially slowing emotional and cognitive development, causing unnecessary stress and perhaps even souring kids’ desire to learn.

And another interesting point:

Jay Giedd, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego, has spent his career studying how the human brain develops from birth through adolescence; he says most kids younger than 7 or 8 are better suited for active exploration than didactic explanation. “The trouble with over-structuring is that it discourages exploration,” he says.

Reading, in particular, can’t be rushed. It has been around for only about 6,000 years, so the ability to transform marks on paper into complex meaning is not pre-wired into the brain. It doesn’t develop “naturally,” as do other complex skills such as walking; it can be fostered, but not forced. 

You can read the entire article here.

While I don't think the school day should be filled with painting and playing (and not much more), I do think our classrooms should offer engaging, creative, and authentic learning experiences.  And I don't think it should end in kindergarten.  It might seem to the students that they are playing and having fun.  Painting, singing, and creativity can be integrated into academic lessons.  It doesn't have to be one or the other.  When we design these types of classrooms and these types of lessons, it benefits all of our students.  But it especially benefits those that struggle with attention and self-control.

I can't control when a parent decides to send their child to kindergarten and I can't control the government standards I am required to teach. But I do have control over so much and that's where I put my energy.  Maybe I'm naive or completely off base, but I believe that the biggest factor in a child's academic growth is the teacher.  And as a teacher, I need to believe that.  It is easy to get trapped and weighted down by the negativity, decisions we don't agree with, and sometimes less than ideal circumstances we are faced with.  But there are teachers that no matter what you throw at them- large class sizes, students from low-income families, gifted students, students with behavior issues,  inattentive students, they get their students to learn.  They find a way to make it work.  I strive to always be that teacher.

And although a student's diet is one of those factors I cannot control, I still find it valuable to be aware of potential causes/solutions, like diet.   I find it especially helpful when conferencing with parents who are looking for strategies to help their inattentive children.  (It does drive me a little crazy when I watch my most distracted students eat their school breakfast of Cocoa Puffs, maybe a Trix Cereal Bar, and chocolate milk.)  The article Better Academic Performance-Is Nutrition the Missing Link? can be found here.

It has great information about the links between our nutrional choices and academic performance.  It specifically looks at breakfast, sugar-based beverages, fruit & vegetable intake, and diet quality.  And although I just mentioned a child's diet is out of my control, the following piece from the article made me think through a little nutrition education and the policies I have for snacks and parties, I may be able to make a small impact.

Schools may see health promotion and nutrition education activities as being lower priorities than core curriculum subjects, particularly with a growing focus on standardized testing and the No Child Left Behind Act. However, it’s important for schools to realize that these are complimentary rather than conflicting priorities.

Allocating time for nutrition education, incorporating health promotion into school activities, and improving school breakfast and lunch offerings are ways to improve children’s health and academic performance.

Our inattentive students face a risk of not reaching their highest academic potential.  The task of determining what causes this may be complex, but there are many things we can do in our classrooms to support these students.

• Design engaging lessons.  Make it meaningful for your students.  
• Use Brain Breaks.  There are all kinds of these out there.  You can go to brain-breaks.com, gonoodle.com, or just search for Brain Breaks or Just Dance Kids video on youtube.
• Be aware of how much time you are expecting the students to sit and listen.  The research says one minute for each year of their age.
• Consider implementing small group instruction.  Often students can better attend in a small group setting-especially when the content is differentiated.  Plus small groups usually means students are up and about at different centers.  This movement is helpful for inattentive students.
• When you have the opportunity, discuss healthy food choices.
• Use visual reminders.  This can be done class wide or some students may benefit from individual visual supports on their desk.
• Chunk their work.  
• Use timers.  Sand timers expensive and can be effective.  The Time Timers (disappearing red) are especially helpful with special needs students and students that struggle with attention.
• Use fidget objects, weighted balls and bumpy seats.
• Allow them to stand when working or if you are up for it, try a ball chair.
• Have a space in the room that is free of distractions and allow inattentive students to work there if they choose.
• Be compassionate.  These students can be frustrating for teachers because they often shout-out, interrupt lessons, don't follow directions, can't sit still, having trouble completing assignments, etc.  But they don't want to be doing those things.  Can you imagine how that feels?  When dealing with them during frustrating times, show compassion.